[Coaster76]

Finding today difficult , 1st day of test match today and resistsed checking sky bet but I really want to. I’m checking score on phone, so tempted to go bookies lunchtime but I won’t , I’ll go for a walk, the opposite direction. I know I can do this short term but long term I worry. Cricket is the sport I gamble most on, tbh I’ve done well but when I lose I lose a lot for me. I don’t not want to check score but checking score is making me want to bet , I can’t win.

[Coaster76]

Gee whizz Vera, reading your post it’s exactly what I go through in my head, my plan on Sunday was have 150 on this cricket match then get back my losses and get out, of course I lost . Reading people’s stories has made me realise what I feel and way I behave is so common amongst CG.
I’m dreading next Monday , my best mate is back for hols and we go bookies lunch time every day, it’s the last place I wanna go on earth but how many excuses can I make? Just the thought of going in bookies makes me anxious , I need to get away from odds / betting scene . If I told people of my problem they would be amazed , I’m a private person. What’s scares me is that if I can make 6 months there’s a big fall ready to happen anytime .
I haven’t considered GA , if have to tell my wife and I just can’t. My aim is to go gamble free until new year and somehow get used to not betting , I haven’t gambled for 2 days and feel ok, Saturday will be hard but I’ve got the kids and I won’t have opportunity, still don’t mean I won’t be thinking of it though. Thank you for your post, you make so much sense , I’m hoping that by posting on here and talking to fellow CG I can beat this, many thanks .

[Coaster76]

Don’t be hard on yourself , we all have tried and failed before but the fact you are trying so hard and taking positive steps is great.
You aren’t weak , no one has a clue about my problem , my wife would probably be great but I feel embarrassed by it. You must do what feels necessary , I find after a loss I’m manic and obsessive about stopping , it’s when I’m a week or 2 in I stupidly reward myself and think I can have ￡20 bet and I’m off again . It’s this I must stop, when the urge comes and I’ve done well I need to stop myself .
Posting on here is a release for me, it’s the only place I can talk about how I feel. I really hope this time it’s the time for you to break this cycle .

[Coaster76]

Don’t be hard on yourself , we all have tried and failed before but the fact you are trying so hard and taking positive steps is great.
You aren’t weak , no one has a clue about my problem , my wife would probably be great but I feel embarrassed by it. You must do what feels necessary , I find after a loss I’m manic and obsessive about stopping , it’s when I’m a week or 2 in I stupidly reward myself and think I can have ￡20 bet and I’m off again . It’s this I must stop, when the urge comes and I’ve done well I need to stop myself .
Posting on here is a release for me, it’s the only place I can talk about how I feel. I really hope this time it’s the time for you to break this cycle .

[Coaster76]

Hi Vera,
What I struggle with as much as not placing that first bet is not thinking of gambling in general , how do I stop my brain thinking about it? People at work talk to me about betting , fortunately at home my wife has zero interest in it. I love my sports and I want to watch them without thinking of odds, just enjoy it for what it is. This is a place I can never see me getting to at the moment.

[Coaster76]

You sound like me yesterday , I even drew money out account , said no , went home but then still went out again to put bet on. That’s very interesting about what you said regards chemicals in brain, it must have been released yesterday . i can also relate to celebrating with a bet so much , weekends is hardest for me, especially Saturday’s , it’s what Saturday’s were all about. I start off thinking just one bet , if I lose fine but it’s not , and it culminates in a chase and another day feeling like I did yesterday and today . I want to set myself a target and see how I feel once / if I get there. I’m hoping that I can somehow get used to not gambling, I’ve conceded that I’ll never be able to gamble normally again so abstinence is only way I can go. I want to post my feelings as I know having read so many posts im not alone with them.

[Coaster76]

Hi there,

When I have stopped gambling in the past and then I start again yes I feel awful like I did yesterday but I know and can do weeks without gambling, I guess what we are searching for is to stop and find a way to combat an urge. I’m watching cricket right now (my nemesis) and I feel ok, guess yesterday is still raw. What causes an urge? Once they start I find it so hard to resist, I’m still searching for that answer . I believe we all have it in us to beat it , everyone has different answers on how to succeed, but we should never give up trying.

[Coaster76]

Hi there,

When I have stopped gambling in the past and then I start again yes I feel awful like I did yesterday but I know and can do weeks without gambling, I guess what we are searching for is to stop and find a way to combat an urge. I’m watching cricket right now (my nemesis) and I feel ok, guess yesterday is still raw. What causes an urge? Once they start I find it so hard to resist, I’m still searching for that answer . I believe we all have it in us to beat it , everyone has different answers on how to succeed, but we should never give up trying.

[Coaster76]

It’s never too late to stop , everything you say I’ve felt , let’s save ￡100 pound this month, that’s a whole month of watching what I spend to put such little away. I can win that on one game of t20 cricket and then go again ! That’s the problem , I call it a numbers game, what gets me going is that knot in your stomach when a bet is on, the feeling when you win is what I strive , the number is irrelevant as we’ll give it back again with interest . One great phrase I read on here, once you have decided to gamble that money has gone and it’s so true. I feel sad that I can’t enjoy a bet like my friends, and I hate the fact that I can’t stop an urge once I start . We must do all we can to stop , what matters is you have made a step and posted, just like I did yesterday. I can’t tell my wife as she just doesn’t get gambling and I feel ashamed of not only the money but time I’ve spent on it. To me it’s about step at a time, and I want this to be last day 1. You’ve made a start, the motivation you have is to bear this . I’ve gone weeks without gambling before and in doing so felt so much better, for me I need to control those urges, i think we need to take away every tool to bet which is hard.

[Coaster76]

I have 3 kids and loads of stuff to do yet when I’m betting it’s all I think of, it totally shapes my day and thoughts. Like we’re used to betting we need to get used to not betting , easier said than done. I just want to bottle up how I felt last night and to s degree this morning how awful I feel so that when I think of next bet I take a sip of this and it reminds me how bad it can make you feel . It’s day 1 and I wish it day 101 but hopefully by posting on here we have an outlet and can support each other.

[Coaster76]

Hi there, I appreciate that you need a job but is this the best place to be? I have a situation where for years me and my best mate go to bookies in our lunch hour, I need to stop going without telling him my problem. Like you I only see the wins and think I know my cricket, like yesterday it was nailed on only to lose. Fortunately he’s off this week so I will go for walk instead. It’s 1st of the month today , so it’s a nice positive way to say lets go whole month without a bet . I woke up this morning and first thing I thought of was my loss yesterday. From reading loads of posts this won’t happen overnight but you’ve made a start by coming on here, don’t know about you but it’s just a relief to talk about it as I can’t to anyone else.

[Coaster76]

Hi there, I only joined today. Like yourself I keep asking why do I always end up after having high hopes that I’ll stop feeling like I do today after another loss. We can’t rationalise it, it’s a compulsion to bet and get that buzz. No one knows my problem so this is my only outlet, there’s nothing wrong with you, or me, we just need to find route , path or ways to deal with urges so we don’t keep falling back to square one. It won’t be easy but let’s try , just posting feels like a huge step

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